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Ontario has an opportunity to do something truly innovative with the important — though decidedly unsexy — issue of garbage. There’s a proposed bill at Queen’s Park that could transform Ontario’s recycling programs and turn the province from laggard to leader in the way we manage some 13 million tonnes of waste every year. It’s high time for all three of the province’s political parties to put aside their partisan squabbling and show the Waste Reduction Act some love.

There’s a lot at stake. According to the province’s waste management association, the changes created by this new act could open the door to a $1-billion investment in the industry, and lead to the creation of thousands of jobs. Not bad for curbside castoffs.

Consumers will benefit because the inevitable built-in recycling costs on the products they purchase will actually go to a program that has a far better shot at success. The current program’s costs, most of which are passed on to consumers, were roughly $176 million in 2012. That’s a lot to spend on a flawed system.

But now that the Waste Reduction Act has arrived at Queen’s Park, it’s at risk of falling victim to the political infighting that is delaying many bills proposed by the minority Liberal government. That shouldn’t be allowed to happen.

Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives should put aside their partisan shenanigans and support the act, since many of its ideas were in fact proposed by them. Even though Environment Minister Jim Bradley has taken the bold steps needed to rewrite the earlier legislation, the Tories can also take some credit. What’s not to like about that?

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Indeed, the new act would fundamentally alter the system of waste diversion in Ontario — not a bad thing when our overall diversion rates have been stuck at a mere 24 per cent for the past 10 years, a dismal showing compared to Nova Scotia’s 42 per cent rate. The key to success is the act’s new philosophy, which focuses on “individual producer responsibility.” That means companies that manufacture electronics or produce household waste are responsible for recycling their own goods. In other jurisdictions, such a system has succeeded in lighting the fires of competition, creating greener product designs and ultimately lower fees for consumers.

Under Ontario’s current system, producers benefit from a cozy arrangement. Corporations that sell electronics, for example, get together and agree upon the costs of eco fees to be charged to consumers, and oversee how waste is divided among the approved recycling companies. It all makes for a comfortable relationship among the producers, but it doesn’t lead to the best result for the environment. It’s too expensive and it’s driving some innovative companies out of business because they can’t get enough waste materials to survive.

If that sounds like a government-mandated mess, it is. But the worst of it is that without competition there’s no economic motive for an individual company to find a better design for its products or packaging.

The proposed law would change that and the timing couldn’t be better. As the Ontario Waste Management Association says, the industry is brimming with new technology and ideas. It just needs an open marketplace to compete. If the act were passed and Ontario could get to a 50 per cent diversion rate (Bradley’s eventual target is 60 per cent), the association says the industry would flourish, creating 5,000 direct and 17,500 indirect jobs. Surely all political parties can get behind that.

Those who prefer the status quo are lobbying against the bill. Many would be happy to see it sent back for review and quietly die whenever the next provincial election is called. That would be a shame for the environment, for industry and for jobs.

The Waste Reduction Act must become law. This is one opportunity that Ontario’s politicians shouldn’t throw away.

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